Step One Foods announced that its Lemon Almond Bar and Dark Chocolate Walnut Bar have been named winners in Good Housekeeping’s 2025 Snack Awards. The full list of winners can be found at goodhousekeeping.com/snacks2025.
Cardiologist formulated and backed by rigorous clinical research at Mayo Clinic, Step One Foods’ snack bars are designed to deliver rapid, measurable improvements in cardiometabolic health — all while redefining what truly great-for-you food can taste like.
Praised as the “Best Functional Bar,” the Lemon Almond Bar stood out to both nutrition experts and testers for its clean ingredient list, craveable flavor, and clinically driven formulation. Good Housekeeping highlighted the bar’s unique ability to promote heart health by actively blocking cholesterol absorption and reabsorption. Both the Lemon Almond and Dark Chocolate Walnut Bars were described by testers as having just the right amount of sweetness, with one noting that the dark chocolate “feels like a treat.”
To find the best snacks on the market, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s registered dietitians and culinary experts rigorously analyzed the ingredient lists, nutrition facts labels, packaging claims and flavor profiles of hundreds of submissions. Next, more than 1,000 consumer testers tried the snacks to share feedback on taste and provide additional real-life analysis. Winners were selected based on innovations in the food space that taste great and meet nutritional criteria, such as caps on per-serving calories, sugar and sodium.
Step One Foods Lemon Almond Bar offers a burst of citrusy brightness with the nutty richness of almonds, while delivering health benefits in every bite. Made with dates, flax seeds, oat bran, chia, walnuts, and lemon juice, this bar is a refreshing way to support daily fiber and plant sterol intake — two nutrients documented to help lower cholesterol.
Step One Foods Dark Chocolate Walnut Bar delivers indulgent flavor with crave-worthy richness. It’s made with 72% cacao dark chocolate, walnuts, chia, flax, and plant sterols to support cardiometabolic health while satisfying sweet cravings. Dessert never tasted so good – or was so good for you!
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be recognized by Good Housekeeping, a publication long admired for its commitment to consumer trust and product integrity,” said Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, practicing cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods. “This award affirms what we’ve believed from day one: that food can be both delicious and deeply impactful for long-term health.”
Rooted in clinical science, Step One Foods formulates every product to deliver the four building blocks of heart health in clinically impactful amounts:
- Fiber, binds to cholesterol in the intestinal tract, aiding removal
- Plant sterols, block cholesterol absorption
- Antioxidants, reduce cholesterol oxidation preventing plaque buildup in arteries
- Omega-3s, reduce inflammation and support healthy cholesterol levels
The winning bars are part of Step One Foods’ full line of science-backed unapologetically delicious snacks and breakfast favorites all designed to support cardiometabolic health — including options like instant oatmeal, pancake mix, and other everyday staples. Each item delivers the precise nutrients in the right amounts needed to help lower cholesterol naturally, making it easier than ever to turn real food into powerful daily care.
